If you’re itching to get your pre-pregnancy body back, diet and exercise will certainly help you get there. However, sometimes no amount of healthy eating and vigorous workouts will get rid of the excess fat and skin on your stomach.
Tummy tucks are immensely popular amongst moms for exactly this reason. They are by far one of the safest and most effective ways to tighten and contour your stomach, allowing you to feel confident about how you look once again.
If you’re wondering about the best time to schedule your tummy tuck, here are a few things to consider.
Scheduling Your Post-Pregnancy Tummy Tuck: 4 Things to Consider
Healing after childbirth
While you might be eager to go ahead with the procedure, it’s important to determine whether your body has had enough time to recover from the pregnancy. Pregnancy and childbirth change your body in many different ways, which means it needs time to normalize and heal before you place it under stress again.
Most top abdominoplasty surgeons such as Dr Perron recommend waiting six months to a year before you schedule your tummy tuck. This procedure is also not recommended if you are still breastfeeding – something else to keep in mind.
Stabilizing your weight
Before you start searching for tummy tuck surgery information, it’s best to be at or close to your ideal weight. Being at your target weight increases your likelihood of achieving the best possible results. Most surgeons won’t schedule your surgery until you have lost all of the intra-abdominal fat that formed during your pregnancy. Losing excess amounts of weight after your tummy tuck will only leave you with a disappointing result.
Decide whether your family is complete
While having a tummy tuck won’t prevent you from having a healthy pregnancy in the future, it’s advisable that you wait until your family is complete before you consider this surgery. Having a child after a tummy tuck will have an effect on your results and there’s a good chance that you will need a second procedure as well as additional work. Many surgeons prefer to use permanent sutures to repair the abdominal muscles during a tummy tuck. Unfortunately, these sutures don’t stretch, which means your body will need to stretch in other places during your next pregnancy to accommodate the baby.
Make sure you have a support system
After your tummy tuck, you will be out of action for at least two weeks, which is why it’s essential to have someone who can help you care for your children before you schedule your surgery. Not only will your energy levels be low but you won’t be able to do any heavy lifting either. Having people available to support you during your recovery is essential if you want your surgical experience to go smoothly. Whether you get your spouse to help out for the first week and friends and family members the week thereafter, having help is essential during this time so make a plan before you make a booking.